Musical instrument



April 4, 1950 E. HANDLER 2,502,722

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 21, 1947 2 Sheets--$heet 1 V aa INVENTOR.

IQTTOENEVS April 4, 1950 v HANDLER 2,502,722

uusxcu. ms'mumm Filed Nov. 21, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

yum/W HTTOBNEV5 Patented Apr. 4, 1950 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Elliot Handler, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Mattel Creations, Los Angeles, Calif., a firm composed of Elliot Handler and Louis Green- Wald Application November 21, 1947, Serial No. 787,434

Claims. 1

My invention relates to a musical instrument, but more specifically to a new and novel type of construction particularly adaptable for use in connection with miniature or toy pianos.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a miniature piano which, by reason of its new and novel construction, can be quickly and inexpensively manufactured and assembled, and yet which has a true chromatic scale and a true and undistorted tone.

Miniature pianos are old in the art and well known to the toy and novelty industry. However, due to heretofore known methods of construction, such pianos have not had true tones or were costly to assemble and produce.

It is an object of my invention to produce a harmonic comb of a one-piece construction, but having new and novel features which produce true chromatic tones and which is free from undesirable vibrations.

One-piece musical combs are known to the art. It has, however, been the experience of the art and industry that no satisfactory method has heretofore been devised for mounting such musical combs as an integral unit which was both free from undesirable vibrations and inexpensive to assemble.

It is also among the objects of my invention to produce a new and nove1 hammer or means for striking the vibrating members in which it is impossible to hold the hammer against the vibratin members, thereby damping the vibrations.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the drawings and the specifications relative thereto.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional plan View having a portion thereof broken away to shown construction details.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing one of the keys in operating position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged isomeric view of a portion of the sound producing comb.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the sound producing comb.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the method of mounting the sound producing comb.

The essential features of my invention include a base In having a sound producing comb ll mounted thereon by means of a bridge l2 and a plurality of keys l3 adapted to cause musical vibrations in the comb I I.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that the sound producing comb I l comprises a mounting strip l6 and a plurality of vibrating members ll joined to the mounting strip l6 as an integral part thereof by means of a connecting link it. It will be noted that the entire assembly is formed of a one-piece construction, which is relatively simple and inexpensive to make. The process of stamping from a flat sheet will readily produce the entire musical comb l l;

The vibrating members l'ldefine spaces 2!] having enlarged apertures 2| adjacent the mounting strip 16. The vibrating members I! are attached to the mounting strip It by means of the connecting link l8 which is relatively thinner in cross-section than the vibrating members I1 on the mounting strip 16, thereby defining transverse grooves 2| and 22. These transverse grooves 21 and 22 can easily be formed by a process of milling or coining or an other suitable means.

The important feature of this construction lies in the simplicity of manufacture and the fact that assembly problems are reduced to a minimum in that connecting the mounting strip H5 to the bridge [2 suspends the musical comb. in the proper position for free and true vibration.

Another important feature of this construction lies in the fact that the vibrating members '5 are connected with the mounting strip It by a reduced section !8, which is highly essential in producing a true tone. This is because such a construction results in a substantially free suspension of the vibrating members I! so that there is no solid member in contact therewith, which might interfere with the vibrations.

The mounting bridge [2 comprises a pair of upright posts 30 disposed at each end thereof and a bridge member 3| supported by said posts and formed with a longitudinal groove 32. The lower end of the posts 30 are secured to the base I0 by any suitable means, such as screws, welding, or any other suitable means of adhesion. The bridge member 3|, together with the base 10, define a longitudinal opening through which keys [3 are disposed, as will be explained later.

In order to obtain a true vibration of the vibrating members I! free of other undesirable vibrations, it is essential that the musical comb be secured by some means which results in the relatively tight or secure fitting and which prevents any vibration between the mounting strip [6 and the mounting bar 3|. This is accomplished in my invention by means of the longitudinal groove 32 and a rod 33 in the following manner. The diameter of the rod 33 and the thickness of the mounting strip It are slightly greater than the width of the slot 32 so that when the mounting strip is inserted into the slot 32 and the rod pressed in by means of a hydraulic press or other suitable means, a satisfactorily secure mounting is obtained.

The keys 13 are illustrated in detail in Figures 2 and 3 and comprise a finger section All, a pivot point M and a hammer 12. The hammer section 42 extends inwardly through the longitudinal aperture defined by the cross bar 34 sub-adjacent the vibrating members II. The hammer section 42 is formed with a vertical bore 43 into Which is loosely disposed an anvil 44.

As will be seen in Figure 3, rapid movement downwardly of the finger section 40 of the keys l3 causes the anvil M to fly up out of the bore 43, striking the vibrating members IT. The anvil 44 will then drop back into the bore 43 by reason of gravity, but will not interfere with the continued vibrations of the members II. A sound deadening washer 45 is interposed between the underside of the anvil 44 and the hammer section 12, so that when the anvil drops back into the bore 43. no undesirable noises will be heard.

It will be readily apparent that I have produced a new and novel structure, particularly adaptable to miniature pianos, which greatly reduces the cost of construction and assembly, and yet which results in the production of true tones, free from undesirable vibrations.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to' secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a musical instrument the combination of: a horizontal bridge formed with an open slot extending longitudinally of said bridge and defined by upper and lower surfaces, a musical comb comprising a plurality of spaced apart chimes extending in a substantially common plane from a straight edged single mounting strip and all originating along a line parallel to the edge of said mounting strip and formed integral therewith, said chimes being of graduated length to produce tones of graduated pitch, said mounting strip being substantially coextensive in length with the length of said slot in said bridge and located in said slot against one of said surfaces, and a rod having a length substantially the same as the length of the mounting strip tightly wedged in said slot between said mountin strip and the other of said slot surfaces along the entire length of the strip in direct contact therewith whereby the musical comb is rigidly mounted on said bridge.

2. In a musical instrument the combination of: a horizontal bridge formed with an. open slot extending longitudinally of said bridge and defined. by plane faced and substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces, a musical comb comprising a plurality of spaced apart chimes having rectangular cross sections and extending in a common plane from a straight-edged single mounting strip and all originatin along a single line parallel to the edge of said mounting strip and formed integral therewith, said chimes being of graduated length to produce tones of graduated pitch, said mounting strip being substantially coextensive in length. with the length of said slot in said bridge and located in said slot against the upper surface thereof, and a round rod having a length substantially the same as the length of the mounting strip and of a diameter slightly greater than the depth from the bottom of the mounting strip to the lower surface of the slot, said rod being tightly wedged in said slot against the lower surface of said mounting strip along the entire length of the strip in direct contact therewith whereby the musical comb is rigidly mounted on said bridge.

3. In a musical instrument, a musical comb comprising a plurality of spaced apart chimes extending in a substantially common plane from a straight-edged single mounting strip and all originating along a line parallel to the edge of said mounting strip, said chimes being of graduated length to produce tones of graduated pitch, each chime being reduced in width at its juncture with the mounting strip, and each chime having a relatively narrow flat bottom out reducing the depth thereof, the bottom of all of said cuts being parallel to said common plane and located at the point of greatest width reduction and aligned parallel to the edge of the mounting strip, the width reduction and depth cut tending to vibrationally isolate the vibratory body of the chime from the mounting strip, said chimes and said strip being a homogeneous single piece.

4. In a musical instrument, a musical comb comprising a plurality of spaced apart chimes having rectangular cross sections of equal dimensions and extending in a common plane from a straight-edged single mounting strip and all originating along a line parallel to the edge of said mounting strip and all having the same thickness as said strip, said chimes being of graduated length to produce tones of graduated pitch, each chime being reduced in width at its juncture with the mounting strip, and each chime having a relatively narrow cut reducing the depth thereof, the bottom of all of said cuts being parallel to said common plane and located at the point of greatest width reduction and aligned parallel to the edge of the mounting strip, the width reduction and depth cut tending to vibrationally isolate the vibratory body of the chime from the mounting strip, said chimes and said strip being a homogeneous single piece.

5. In a musical instrument the combination of: a horizontal bridge formed with an open slot extending longitudinally of said bridge and defined by upper and lower surfaces, a musical comb comprising a plurality of spaced apart chimes extending in a substantially common plane from a straight-edged single mounting strip and all originating along a line parallel to the edge of said mounting strip, said chimes being of graduated length to produce tones of graduated pitch, each chime being reduced in width at its juncture with the mounting strip, and each chime having a relatively narrow flat bottom out reducing the depth thereof, the bottom of all Of said cuts being parallel to said common plane and located at the point of greatest width reduction and aligned parallel to the edge of the mounting strip, the width reduction and depth cut tending to vibrationally isolate the vibratory body of the chime from the mounting strip, said chimes and said strip being a homogeneous single piece, said mounting strip being substantially coextensive in length with the length of said slot in s aid bridge and located in saiq slot against one jgjf s'aidrsurfaces, and a rod having a length substantially the same as the length -01? the mounting strip tightly wedged, in

said slot between said mounting strip and the ether of. said slot surfa'eesfalong the entire length of the strip in direct'contact therewith whereby REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of gthis patent:

Number Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Paillard et a1. Aug. 30, 1887 Steck Sept. 16, 1890 Smith Aug. 29, 1899 Schoenhut Sept. 18, 1900 Colwell Aug. 30, 1904 Gent July 7, 1925 Mar Mar. 26, 1935 Zadig June 1, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Dec. 8, 1930 

